She hooked a hand through Adam’s arm and hauled him back against the wall.
He slid down it until he sat on the ground, closing his eyes.“I’ll be fine in jusss a minute.Ssoon as things stop…”
He made a vague circling motion with his hand.
Neil and Constance stepped out from Sita’s cave.Neil had sheathed his sword, carrying the bow and quiver from the temple instead.His eyes widened with alarm behind his spectacles as he took in Adam’s position.“Are we going to have to carry him down?”
Ellie’s calf protested at the idea.
“There’s only room for one at a time on the stairs.”Constance brightened.“Maybe we could just tie him up and lower him over the side.”
“Not a chance in hell,” Adam replied flatly.
“What if we blindfolded him?”Ellie suggested.
“Tried that once,” Neil replied shortly.“He lost his supper on a constable.”
“Wasssn’tonhim,” Adam corrected him woozily.“Missed him by a good foot.”
?
Ten minutes and a few harrowing moments later, they got Adam back to the ground—where a blur of golden fur crashed into them from the underbrush.
Adam caught the impact, woozily falling to the grass.Kalb licked his face furiously, and Adam hauled the dog into a hug.“That’s right—who’s the best boy?You are!You’re the best boy!”
Kalb sprang away from Adam, whirling to Ellie.He froze, quivering with barely contained excitement as he whimpered up at her.
Ellie gave in.“Oh, fine.Yes, you were a good boy.”
She gave him a pat on the top of his head, and Kalb took that as an invitation to smash himself between her legs, wriggling like a live trout.Ellie nearly tripped from the impact—and then the dog froze at a suspicious rustle from the nearby brush.
“Not again!”she groaned.
With a burst of raucous barking, Kalb bolted.
“He’ll be back,” Adam asserted from where he remained sprawled on the ground.
“I am starting to actually believe that,” Ellie grumbled.
She limped over to him.
“That leg’ll feel better once you stop walking on it,” Adam pointed out helpfully.
“I think we’re about to be a bit short on mules,” Ellie countered.
She turned at a sound from behind to see Constance’s royal uncle rappel down the face of the cliff, landing with enthusiastic agility.He loosed the ropes from his belt with a practiced tug.
“This really is an absolutely splendid piece of geography.”His expression grew dangerously thoughtful.“One might find it an excellent spot for a winter retreat.”
Subhas slid down another set of ropes beside him, shooting the maharaja an exasperated look that already carried an air of weary practice.“I don’t think Tari Penu would approve of that,” he warned tersely.
Vijay winked.“Well, if the goddess wouldn’t approve, I’d best not chance it.Plenty of other waterfalls around.”He turned to Ellie and the others, setting his hands on his hips.“So, the Brahmastra has been disposed of.It’s the best possible scenario, really—for everyone but the poor colonel, obviously.”
“We still need to decide what to do with this.”Neil awkwardly held out the bow.
Vijay accepted it with an air of uncharacteristically subdued reverence.“Is this what I think it is?”
“Well, it would be difficult to establish a reliable provenance without a written record…” Neil began hesitantly.
